Sequence
by L.C. Li
Summary: "Some days, don't you just wish you could be normal?" — MagicalGirl!AU.
_**(a/n: co-written with Antioch. boy, this is really fun.**_

 _ **like lucid9, the story will begin very lighthearted, and eventually delve deeper into development.)**_

* * *

 **i; lanterns alight**

The first time that Rui Hayata had attended a festival, she'd nearly died.

She had been young, very young. Half the height of her parents. Dressed up in a flowery little yukata and flowery little slippers with little flowers in her hair. The sky was alight with paper lanterns, glimmering and glistening against the night like fiery pages of a storybook, and people—people were everywhere, wearing brocades of cherry blossoms and earthy wheat. She remembered walking through people, gripping her parents' fingers so tightly that they ground together in her hands.

When she had nearly died, they had been seated on the tiered wooden bleachers of the outdoor theater. She had been holding a fan. Pink and beige, printed with the face of a giant kitty. She still had that fan somewhere. She kept everything from that day.

When she had nearly died, they had been watching a show on the theater stage: the annual reenactment of the princess and her bodyguard, the origin of the Festival of Lanterns. The audience gasped and sobbed at all the right times. She didn't really understand what was happening at the time, but everything was pretty. She appreciated that much, at least.

That was when a shadow had eclipsed the stage and flung the festival into chaos.

She'd thought that it was just part of the play. She'd thought that it was planned. She hadn't blinked when the shadow had snapped up the bodyguard, and she hadn't fretted when the audience clambered away, screaming. It was part of the show, wasn't it? All part of the show.

But in the current of fleeing attendees, she was torn away from her parents. Her kitty fan was knocked to the ground. The world became small and closed, moving walls buffering her forward and back and left and right, neverending motion with no relief in sight.

She fell. People climbed over her. The shadow loomed just an arm's length away.

When Rui Hayata had nearly died, she had been at her very first festival.

.

.

.

"What're you thinking about?"

Rui jerked upright from a daze, taking in her surroundings with a quick sweep of the eye. Currently, she was perched on the rooftop of an apartment complex, poised beside a clamoring street stuffed with booths, lights, and festival wares. Mobs of Isamu citizens garbed in yukata leisurely strolled from corner to corner, completely unaware of the silent guardians that took their vigil above.

Beside Rui, a young woman flopped on the railing of the rooftop, kicking her legs idly in the air. She should've been a traditional beauty—dark hair like black silk, eyes a stormy purple-grey—but her dress was made of white panels and asymmetry with lines of thin, iridescent trim running over the edges. Someone, something, some occurrence not of this world.

"Havoc," Rui greeted.

"Hey, Angel," said Havoc with a grin and a salute.

Rui breathed, allowing her shoulders to relax. Havoc was here. Someone trustworthy to defend her back. Havoc always came, of course... But this particular day harbored more tensions than usual. Nothing felt certain during the Festival of Lanterns.

"So. What's with the dreamy look?" Havoc said.

"Oh, nothing really," Rui said absently, wearing a smile.

"Doesn't look like nothing. What, wishing you could be walking around with a cute boy?"

"N-no! Where did something like _that_ come from?!"

Havoc only chuckled. "My own thoughts. Don't you think it'd be exciting, going on a normal date?"

A poignant pause filled the space between them. Rui's eyes fell on a lanky young man working behind a ramen stall, tousled black hair pushed back with a restaurant handkerchief. Her eyes had fallen on that spot too many times over the years. But she never stopped herself. In a way, it was the only luxury she could afford in a night rich with festivities.

"What do people do on normal dates?" Rui asked quietly.

"Eat really good food. Take lots of photos. Tease each other. Dress up. Who knows? Do you know anyone who's normal?"

The railing beneath them suddenly shuddered. Screams rose as fire belched smoke a block away, painting the lantern-speckled sky with black pollution. The girls launched to their feet, alert.

Despite herself, Rui giggled. "No. I guess I don't."

Havoc's energy tapered into a rueful smile. "Neither do I. Let's go."

And Havoc vaulted from the rooftop, spinning into a textbook double flip before she landed with a crouch on the cement below. It should have shattered her knees—if she had been an ordinary woman.

Rui stood and brushed at her own white-paneled skirt. She allowed one more glance at the ramen booth.

The young man hadn't even looked up at the commotion. He continued on, stoic and steadfast, bringing his calming presence to the surrounding customers. Maybe he was telling them that the Lucid9 had everything under control. Maybe he was just too tired to care.

Rui turned back and thrust out her hand. Sparks flowed from her fingertips, twining into a serpentine shape that solidified as fragments of a pearl-blue bow. She tested the string with a gentle flick. It hummed quietly beneath her nails.

Time to get to work.

.

.

.

When the cacophany reached his ears, the first thing Yama Ishimoto did was curse the loss of business.

"What was that?" his father demanded, greying head swiveling away from a roiling pot of broth.

"Probably an Anomaly," Yama said nonchalantly. "Or a fireworks stand exploded."

"It couldn't have waited until _after_ the dinner rush?"

Yama twirled a pair of chopsticks in his fingers, eyes roving over the dangling sheaf of ramen orders. "I still have deliveries to make, too. It'd be a pity to miss out on the tips."

Then the door to the stall flew inward, smashing violently into the wall. Through its frame charged a young man with tension alight every inch of his muscled build. Like Yama, his hair was pushed back into a band. Unlike Yama, said hair was flaming red; a vibrant color that caught the light of the ramen shop and made it flicker.

"Yama!"

Yama glanced at the door. "Oh, hey Masato. Sorry. No eating contests today. You cleaned me out last time."

"Not here for that, ya soddin' idiot! Are you deaf? Can't you hear the screams?"

"I hear them," Yama said. "Trying to figure out if it was an Anomaly, a fireworks stand, or a group of teenage girls."

Masato huffed in irritation. "Came to make sure you were ok. Shouldn't have bothered."

The chopsticks stopped. Yama smiled with warmth. "Thanks, Masa. Really. But we'll be fine."

"Not _that_ fine," his father grumbled. "We're going to lose hundreds of thousands of yen from this. Chasing all the customers away."

"Are your siblings okay?" Yama continued, ignoring his old man.

"Left 'em with some friends. Had to make sure you were ok," Masato said.

Yama held his arms wide, the picture of uncaring roguishness. "As you can see, I'm just dandy."

"For now, at least," Masato said. His voice lowered. "I caught a glimpse of it. It's a nasty one. Real nasty." He turned to leave, but paused, eyes burning with grim determination. "Stay safe, man."

"You too."

Only a moment passed before the bustling form of Yama's mother burst through the still-open doorway. "What are you two idiots doing?! The Anomaly is coming! Pack, pack, pack!"

"I just finished the broth," his father protested. "It's too hot to pack."

His mother dashed to her husband in a flurry of long skirts. "Who cares about the broth?!" she screeched, slapping at her husband's back with petite hands. "What good is broth if you're dead, huh?! Are you going to feed your funeral guests with it?!"

"No funeral. Too expensive."

As his parents devolved into childish bickering, Yama strolled over and plucked the ladle from his father's loose grip. He scooped into the pot. The broth bubbled gently in the ladle, sending wispy strands of steam cavorting through the air. He allowed himself a brief sniff of the savory liquid before dumping it into the nearest takeout container.

His parents paused, mouths frozen open in comical disbelief.

"What are you doing?" his mother asked with a suspicious glare.

"Takeout order," Yama responded.

"Are you crazy?! Do you not see what's going on out there?"

"Your mother is right," his father chimed in. "It's too dangerous. We should be packing."

"But it's a deluxe bowl," Yama said. He plucked another container for his family's handmade noodles.

"Dear, tell your son to stop this foolishness and help us escape!" his mother cried with exasperation.

Silence.

"Dear," his mother said, face contorted into a cloyingly sweet smile. "Do you not agree?"

"...It's a deluxe bowl," his father protested weakly.

"I'll be fast," Yama promised. One last container for meat. Veggies. Seafood. Two half-eggs.

His mother's gaze whipped furiously back and forth before she threw her hands up with a frustrated scream and stormed from the shack.

"Men!"

His father sighed as the door slammed with a percussive thud. "You better go fast. I think your mother will only get angrier."

"I'll take the moped," Yama promised, and then he was out into the chaos, containers perched expertly on his arm.

.

.

.

The street was in chaos when Rui and Havoc arrived. Fire licked at the canopies of toppled booths, spreading along disorderly piles of snacks and wares. Shards of wood, metal, and cement splayed over the surface of the street, cutting into crates, cloth, even walls of adjacent buildings. A ragtag squad of policemen was occupied with ushering citizens out of the street through the mess.

Rui kicked a fireworks stall out of the street, hoping to get the sparklers away from the blaze. Havoc vaulted onto a balcony that overlooked the street.

"See any injured?" called Rui.

"None from here. Where's Duchess?"

"Distracting it, maybe. Since it's not here or anything."

Rui extended her hand, letting light form an arrow between her fingers. She threaded the shaft against the string, pulled back, and fired straight into the sky. The arrow exploded into a vibrant firework overhead. Multicolored residue shimmered to the ground like a shower of glassy rain.

Only moments later, a shadow plummeted from the sky, landing hard on the cement with a startling _crack_. Cloth settled, and beneath a head of deep red hair, Rui caught a glint of icy eyes.

"That was fast," Havoc said with a smile, dropping from her perch.

The newcomer straightened and heaved a giant hooked shadow over her shoulder: a paneled weighty scythe, twice as big as its wielder. "Duchess?" came a soft query.

"Coming soon, probably," said Rui. "Are you doing okay, Reaper?"

Reaper only tilted her head. Soft white ribbons danced amusedly over her shoulder.

"You know, recently. How have you been?"

Reaper blinked. "Alive."

"Um... right," Rui mumbled.

Havoc glanced upward, then dropped into a crouch. "Hold up, we've got a newcomer. And they're coming in hot!"

Rui squinted against the sky. A silhouette blurred before the moon, soaring right towards their location. Rui tightened her grip on the bow and listened intently. Above the distant screams of panic, above the crackling of fire, she could hear a faint cry...

"Geronimoooooooooooo!"

Rui relaxed. Havoc chuckled.

The figure landed softly, blond hair streaming behind her like uprisen sails of a boat. A network of levitating blades circled lazily around her hand as she pulled herself up.

"Suparoni, Angel?" she said with a wink. "Long time no fight-evil-monsters-together!"

"Hey, Thespian," Rui said, grinning. "What's up?"

"In what part of the world?" said Thespian. "Because what we consider 'up,' someone on the opposite side of the globe may very well consider 'down.' Or what we consider 'down,' someone else may very well consider 'microfiber.'"

Rui giggled, but tempered her giddiness. "Let's go find Duchess. She might need backup."

"Race you!" Havoc said suddenly, and darted past the inferno.

"Chase you!" Thespian replied immediately and leapt after her.

Reaper was next to follow. Rui formed an arrow, then climbed to the nearest rooftop. She always preferred to take action from elevation. Maybe that came with the weapon.

It didn't take long to find Duchess. She was standing in an arena of broken cement, ringed by angry fire. Sweat and grime smeared down the sides of her face, dripping from her chin to the handle of her rapier. Opposite of her, a shadow loomed, grotesque and beastly with the wrong summation of curves and angles. The firelight had no effect on its appearance; like void, it was nothingness.

Rui, Thespian, and Havoc dropped to the Duchess's side, pulling into a tight formation.

"About bloody time," Duchess snapped. "What were you doing? Gallivanting with some bloke, bobbing for apples?"

"You must be getting old, Duchess," Rui tossed back. "Tired already?"

"This one's different," Duchess said sharply. "You'll feel it."

Havoc snapped her wrist forward. Purple light welded into a serpentine double-bladed naginata, which she pinwheeled with a flourish behind her back. "Nothing that a taste of magic metal won't solve," she said devilishly, and with no hint of fear, barreled right at the shadow.

The creature reared back and struck, fast as a snake. Havoc swung her naginata defensively, barely catching the blow in time. The force drove her heels into the cement. She crouched down as she skidded backward, regaining her balance.

"Ouch," she said. "That was more force than I was expecting."

"Like I said," Duchess muttered, "it's different."

"Not very civil, apparently."

"Don't get me started. Bloody thing trashed the tea stall," growled Duchess.

Rui withdrew several paces away from the group, loosing an arrow. It struck home in the shadow, which shrunk inward with an unearthly shriek. Rui frowned.

"Odd," she mumbled.

"Aaaand that's my cue!" Thespian pulled her hands together and darted forward; the blades circled in a frenzy around her wrists. "Watch _this_!"

Rui's eyes widened. "Wait, Thespian—"

Thespian lunged with a scream of bloody murder.

The Anomaly melted inward, shifting shapes to a blunt bat-like object, which it promptly socked right at Thespian's abdomen. Thespian drove her blades forward to slow the impact, but it still sent her pinwheeling head-over-heels at an alarming speed.

"Never mind, don't waaaatch!" she called, soaring out of the building.

The Anomaly curled back into an amoeba, burbling sluggishly. Duchess sighed.

"It was vicious at first," she said, "but it's settled down since you all gathered at Angel's beacon."

"But if it sensed us, shouldn't it be acting _more_ volatile?" Rui mused.

"Different, remember," said Havoc.

Rui narrowed her eyes. The small forms of plant life in the ruined building were wilting away in the presence of the Anomaly; death hung in the air, quiet yet persistent. As per usual, the creature was sucking away all adjacent life.

"It exaggerated its response to my arrow to trick Thespian," Rui said.

Duchess cursed. "Don't tell me that these things are getting _intelligent_."

The thought was too horrifying to entertain. Rui drew another arrow to her string. "Well, I don't see what else we can do, other than just try to wail on it. Has anyone seen Reaper?"

"Let's just attack," Havoc said impulsively. "I'm sure she'll join."

"Right then." Duchess shifted her stance and brought her rapier level with her shoulder. "Go!"

Havoc dashed forward and Duchess broke to the side. Rui loosed her arrow, which lodged angrily into the Anomaly's amoebic form, then exploded in a ball of fire.

The creature hissed, lashing out with jagged edges. Havoc vaulted cleanly over its assault, swiping her gleaming naginata right at its core. Duchess followed with a piercing thrust at its side.

" _WALALALALALALA_!"

A blonde blur catapulted from the building's entrance and streaked past Rui. Said blonde blur was Thespian, skiing through air on the backs of her levitating blades. Just before crashing into the Anomaly, she bounded away, driving the blades into its dark, misty flesh.

The creature condensed into a ball of spikes, jabbing at its attackers. Duchess, Havoc, and Thespian backwheeled in retreat as Rui loosed another arrow; their target immediately shifted to fluidly ooze to the ground.

That was when Reaper dropped from the sky, slicing her scythe through the air with a shrill whistle. The blade pierced the Anomaly, tearing it cleanly in half from top to bottom. The creature convulsed and collapsed into dust.

All that remained was a broken room that housed fire, dying plants, and five girls with glowing weapons.

"It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's the grim Reaper hunting Anomalies for breakfast!" Thespian crowed.

"But it's dinner time," Reaper said, releasing her scythe. It dispersed into threads of light that wove into the tight band on her wrist.

Duchess also dismissed her weapon. "Good work, ladies... but it shouldn't have taken all of us."

"Boy, it's never just 'congrats' with you, is it?" Rui snorted.

"I meant," said Duchess, "that this is the strongest bloody Anomaly that we've ever run into. If we keep getting ones that require all of us to fight, we won't be able to keep the city under control."

"I'm sure it was just an exception," Havoc said dismissively. Her naginata dissipated into light. "Wouldn't be the first time, either."

"Let's hope," Duchess muttered.

"Shape up that attitude, Dutch!" Thespian said. "Even if it's not an exception, think on the bright side! A good challenge is the first step to getting better!"

"It's also the first step to getting _dead_ in this field of work," Duchess fired back.

"Hate to break it to you, Dutch, but you might be in the wrong occupation," Rui snorted.

Reaper stepped between them, a furrowed brow wrinkling her delicate features. "Why are you fighting?" she said coolly.

"They're not actually fighting," Havoc said. "They're just frenemies for life."

"What's a frenemy?"

Thespian clapped Reaper on the shoulder. "Tell ya what, Reepicheep. Let's answer this deep question on the meaning of life _after_ we grab a bite to eat. Ramen, anyone?"

"I wasn't asking about the meaning of life," Reaper protested softly.

"No ramen," Rui added.

Thespian stared wide-eyed at Rui. "No ramen?"

Rui coughed. "Yeah."

"Oh." Thespian shrugged. "Well, too late. I already ordered some for takeout. Delivery boy should be here any moment."

"Ramen?!" Rui screeched, feeling her calm give way to utter panic. "Why would you order ramen?!"

"I was hungry!" Thespian said defensively.

"But why ramen?! W-why not, I don't know, hamburgers! Uh, salad! Sushi! W-why _ramen_?!"

Thespian wilted. "Are you mocking my dietary habits?!" she demanded.

"It's not nutritious," Reaper sidelined.

"It has nothing to do with nutrition!" Rui groaned. "If you got ramen, then that means—"

And that was when the choppy _putt-putt-putt_ of a delivery moped broke through the crackle of surrounding fire. A figure emerged from the cloud of smoke and came to a clean halt before them.

Rui stifled a groan.

The deliverer removed his helmet—yes, _his_ , and _he_ just so happened to be a certain unkempt young man with tousled hair tied back in a restaurant handkerchief—and shut off the moped, hoisting an insulated box in his arms. At this distance, she could see the wisps of fringe peeking from his headband, she could count his eyelashes, she could distinguish the five hues of gold swimming around in his irises.

Rui struggled valiantly to keep from melting into a humiliated puddle somewhere in the ground below. Heaven help her, she could _not_ look him in the face. Not while she still remembered the countless times where she waffled outside the restaurant doors, never able to take that daring step to enter. Not while she still remembered the hours spent _casually_ strolling before his family's ramen booth every festival, decked in her best kimono, hoping he would somehow recognize her. Not while she still remembered sending glares at every member of the female species who entered the restaurant, aside from his mom.

Most girls might have been ecstatic to finally meet their crush face-to-face. Not Rui Hayata. She just felt like a _creeper_.

It was one thing to sneak a peek at the ramen booth every Lantern Festival. It was another thing entirely to do what she'd done in middle school.

She breathed deeply, telling herself to _chill_. She'd been over that stage for a long time. Middle school was a terrifying age, but more than anything, it was _over_. Down the drain. Locked away, never to resurface.

Back to her senses, Rui turned her attention to reality.

The delivery boy—Yama, his nameplate read, the very first time she'd seen his name despite all of her stalkerish fangirling—was handing the insulated box to Thespian.

"Ooh, my lucky day!" Thespian said happily. "I didn't know you guys delivered to life-threatening areas."

"It's a special service," Yama said curtly. "25% service fee." Goodness, his voice was heavenly. Whoops. No. No it wasn't. It was a perfectly normal voice coming from a perfectly normal person.

Thespian's eyes bulged in shock. "25% service—! Son, do I look like I'm made of money?!"

Yama promptly laid the box back in the moped basket and swung his leg over the seat. Thespian squeaked, grappling frantically at his handlebars.

"You can't just leave! I already paid for everything!" she yelped.

Yama stared at her evenly. "Are you going to pay the service fee?"

"Not 25%."

"Then you didn't pay for everything."

When Thespian didn't loosen her hold, Yama sighed and dismounted the moped.

"I'll make you a deal. I'll waive the service fee if you let me film an endorsement."

Thespian blinked. "A... what?"

Havoc broke forward in excitement. "An endorsement! You know, where he films you eating the ramen and talking about how delicious it is. A commercial."

"A commercial!" Thespian's eyes began to shine. "I've always wanted to be part of a commercial! Can I come up with a jig?"

"Spare us," Duchess said flatly.

"Oh, please do. It sounds entertaining," Havoc said cheerfully.

A few minutes later, and the scene was crudely prepped. Thespian was sitting on an abandoned bench, the Ishimoto Deluxe Bowl Set propped neatly on her thighs. The fading fire in the surroundings served as a naturally warm backlight that highlighted the shine of her golden hair. To complete the three-point, Reaper obligingly brought a paper lantern, holding it just out of the shot to illuminate Thespian's lovely, flawless face. Had the group not been standing amidst a pile of rubble, the scenario would have looked exactly like a charming indie set.

"Are you sure about the fire? And the rubble?" Rui whispered, her concern overwhelming her nervousness.

"Wouldn't worry about it," Yama said curtly. "Makes it seem legitimate. Lived-in."

He turned back to Thespian, who was currently crouched over the bowl, licking her lips.

"Action," said Yama, holding his phone with steady hands.

Thespian slurped a chopstickful of noodles, swallowed, and burst into a rap-like rhythm.

"After a battle, the first thing I want to eat is ramen! And you know what they say. Ain't nothin' no better, ain't nothin' so header, ain't nothin' with cheddar like the Iiiiiishimoto Ramen Shop!"

"Stop. Just stop." Yama lowered his phone, a tinge of irritation flickering over his brow. Clearly, he was trying to control a more virile response. "What was that?"

"My jig," said Thespian, slurping up more noodles. Apparently, she was actually very hungry.

"I wouldn't call that a jig. Are you _trying_ to drive away customers?"

"I didn't understand a single bloody thing you said," Duchess added, bewildered.

"It had good energy at least," Havoc encouraged. "I think."

"Do something else," Yama said. He raised his phone again. "Action."

Thespian hurriedly finished slurping her noodles and wiped at her mouth. "Tastes just as delicious as the name makes it sound," she said dreamily. "Ishimoto's, since 1964."

Yama stopped and lowered his phone. Thespian happily continued to dig in.

"Do you even know Japanese?" Yama demanded. "Who in their right mind would try to eat rocks?"

Reaper quietly raised her hand. "They're not very tasty," she said flatly.

Rui winced at the mental image. Of course Reaper would know.

"Clearly, this isn't working," Yama said bluntly. "Might be better if you just paid the service fee."

Thespian looked so gobsmacked that Rui took pity on her. A 25% service fee was, after all, nothing to sneeze at. "Thespian, what if you tried something like... 'Delicious. Nutritious. Vivacious. Ishimoto's, since 1964. Live your life to the fullest.'" She giggled. "Get it? Because full—as in food."

Yama watched her with appraising eyes, brow furrowed thoughtfully.

"It's... mediocre, at best," he finally said, "but you're very cute. It'll probably work."

"It's not medio—! ...Come again?"

"Cute. You know—pretty, beautiful, appealing, attractive?" Yama said, but any hint of flirtatiousness was ruthlessly quashed by the cold logic of his delivery.

Rui opened her mouth. Closed her mouth. Opened her mouth again.

"Are you being sar—" She cut off and turned to Thespian. "Is he being sarcastic?"

"Don't think so. I think he just hit on you, Angie," Thespian said wisely.

"Yeah, I could really tell that from the mocking look on his face."

"This is my normal face," Yama said.

Rui blinked. "Are you being ser—" She cut off again, glancing at Thespian. "Is he being serious?"

"Yes," Yama interrupted, a hint of frustration creeping in. "I'm completely serious."

"He actually _is_ hitting on you," Havoc said wonderingly, propping her head on one hand.

Yama sighed. "From a business perspective, what I say is not a hard concept. Modern beauty standards rate you highly. People are shallow. Therefore, your endorsement will be valuable, content aside."

A moment of silence followed this revelation.

"Plus," said Yama, "your fanclub is the largest."

In another timeline, Rui Hayata may have been secretly thrilled that her crush had just complimented her. She may have even been able to forget the unmentionable years of preadolescent antics. But in that timeline, said crush wasn't such a _jerk._

"My fan—! My _fanclub?!_ Well, fine," she huffed, "if that's your reason, I'm not going to give you a silly endorsement at all!"

"Does that mean I have to pay?" Akira mourned.

"No need. I already filmed it." Yama waved his phone nonchalantly.

Rui stared at the phone as her brain screeched to a halt. It took her a few minutes of unintelligent blinking before she fully processed his words.

"You mean... While I was suggesting to Akira..."

"Video was recording the whole time."

"Give it to me." She lunged at him, grappling for the phone. Yama only raised it above his head, above her reach, and tapped the screen. Helplessly, Rui watched as the camera swiveled to her face, and...

" _Delicious. Nutritious. Vivacious. Ishimoto's, since 1964. Live your life to the fullest. Ehehe~ Get it? Because full—as in food."_

Oh god, that giggle. That stupid look. That dramatic delivery.

Rui winced. "Take it down. I look like such a _dork_."

"You just saved your friend a thousand yen."

"I don't care. Take it down."

"So you want her to pay a thousand yen?"

Rui felt her hackles rising. In that moment, the very _last_ thing she cared about was how close she was to her crush, or how she was grabbing his shoulders, his head, anything, to boost herself up and get the accursed _phone_. "Then re-record it at least! Film it properly! Film it now that I'm actually ready!"

"You're most genuine in this video," Yama said drolly. "Your fans will appreciate that."

Rui froze, mouth opening and closing like a fish. "Are... Are you saying that I'm a dork?!" she demanded.

"You are," Duchess said flatly.

"That's your charm," Havoc added with a sage nod.

"You all suck." Rui wheeled around, jabbing a finger at Yama. "Especially you! You suck the most! You are such a—a—a dummy!"

"But I'll be a _rich_ dummy," Yama said drily. "Thanks for the endorsement."

He mounted the moped and activated the engine, flicking his visor over his eyes.

"Don't make me shoot your tire!" Rui yelled.

"You won't. You're too nice," Yama said, and sped back into the haze.

She didn't shoot his tire.

Reaper did.


End file.
